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Kota Kinabalu: A pharmacy manager and a registered pharmacist were fined a total of RM7,000 by the Sessions Court here on Wednesday for offences involving the sale of poison without a prescription from a registered medical practitioner.

Sessions Court Judge Hurman Hussain fined Mary Majinus, 47, RM3,000 or two months’ jail after she pleaded guilty to selling a strip labelled “Hovasc 10mg” containing 10 tablets found to contain Amlodipine, a poison listed under the First Schedule of the Poisons Act 1952, without a prescription at Sunlight Pharmacy (KK) Sdn Bhd in Jalan Pantai at noon on Feb 14, 2024.

The court heard that the offence contravened Section 21(1)(c) of the Poisons Act 1952, punishable under Section 32(2) of the same Act, which provides for a fine of up to RM50,000, imprisonment of up to five years, or both, upon conviction.

Pharmacist Bui Kai Juin, 44, was separately fined RM4,000 or three months’ jail after pleading guilty to failing to ensure the retail sale of poison was conducted under her personal supervision, resulting in a medicinal product containing poison being sold without a prescription at the same place and time.

During mitigation, both accused sought fines instead of custodial sentences, while prosecuting officer Saifullah Al-Mujahidi Mohamad Uda from the Sabah Pharmacy Enforcement Branch submitted that Amlodipine is a Group B Poison that may only be supplied with a valid prescription and that the offences posed risks to public health and patient safety.